RLGN 104 The Gospel Message The Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Paul should know, since his life was radically transformed when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9, 26:4–18). Once he knew Jesus and His power, nothing held him back from telling others about the risen Christ. He shared this gospel, the “good news,” with anyone who would listen to him, regardless of their religion or moral background. Paul once wrote to a group of Christians telling them about this gospel. He said: Moreover, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Be assured, this same gospel that changed and motivated Paul is for you and me today. In understanding the gospel message we find out that: · Jesus paid the price for our sins (I Peter 3:18). · Our sins can be forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). · We can have eternal life by trusting in Him (John 3:15). The word “gospel” is mentioned over 100 times in the Bible by Jesus and His disciples. Jesus was the source and subject of this good news. Jesus began his ministry by sharing this central truth, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus personally shared the gospel with those who listened to Him and today He is sharing it through the Bible and those who know and follow Him. He wants everyone to believe this gospel. But why is the gospel needed and how do people come to understand clearly what it means to become a follower of Christ and believe this gospel message? The Problem The problem is that all people are born sinners and sin separates them from God. “Your [sins] have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2). The problem started in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were given clear instructions by God. They were free to eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Being deceived by Satan (the serpent), Eve ate the fruit of the tree and gave the fruit to Adam, who willingly (rebelliously) ate it (Genesis 3:1–6). So what is the big deal? This is a very serious matter. The God of the Bible clearly states that He cannot tolerate the least amount of sin in His presence. Psalm 5:4 says, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.” Also, Adam’s ...

1. RLGN 104
The Gospel Message
The Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans
1:16). Paul should know, since his life was radically
transformed when Jesus confronted him on the road to
Damascus (Acts 9, 26:4–18). Once he knew Jesus and His
power, nothing held him back from telling others about the risen
Christ. He shared this gospel, the “good news,” with anyone
who would listen to him, regardless of their religion or moral
background. Paul once wrote to a group of Christians telling
them about this gospel. He said:
Moreover, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received and in which you
stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word
which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I
delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He
was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to
the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
Be assured, this same gospel that changed and motivated Paul is
for you and me today. In understanding the gospel message we
find out that:
· Jesus paid the price for our sins (I Peter 3:18).
· Our sins can be forgiven (Ephesians 1:7).
· We can have eternal life by trusting in Him (John 3:15).
The word “gospel” is mentioned over 100 times in the Bible by
Jesus and His disciples. Jesus was the source and subject of this

2. good news. Jesus began his ministry by sharing this central
truth, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus
personally shared the gospel with those who listened to Him and
today He is sharing it through the Bible and those who know
and follow Him. He wants everyone to believe this gospel. But
why is the gospel needed and how do people come to
understand clearly what it means to become a follower of Christ
and believe this gospel
message?
The Problem
The problem is that all people are born sinners and sin separates
them from God. “Your [sins] have separated you from your
God” (Isaiah 59:2). The problem started in the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve were given clear instructions by God. They were
free to eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. God told them, “Of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that
you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Being
deceived by Satan (the serpent), Eve ate the fruit of the tree and
gave the fruit to Adam, who willingly (rebelliously) ate it
(Genesis 3:1–6).
So what is the big deal? This is a very serious matter. The God
of the Bible clearly states that He cannot tolerate the least
amount of sin in His presence. Psalm 5:4 says, “You are not a
God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with
You.”
Also, Adam’s choice affected the entire human race. Because of
Adam’s rebellion, all people are born sinners (Psalm 51:5) and
since then everyone willingly chooses to sin. The Apostle Paul
explained, “Just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the
world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned” (Romans 5:12), and “all have sinned and

3. fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Everyone is a
sinner and this sin separates each person from a holy God
(Isaiah 6:3). So, what is the solution; how can sinful humans
ever hope to inhabit a holy heaven with a holy God?
The
Solution
Throughout human history people have attempted to solve this
problem on their own. Religions have been developed which
require people to do good works in order to earn eternal
happiness and rewards. This “solution” is really an issue of
pride. Salvation is all about God and His grace. Salvation is
“the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:9)
Salvation cannot be earned through good works. So what is the
real solution? The solution comes from God Himself. God knew
that humans could not achieve heaven by good works. That is
why Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to die for our sins (John
3:16; II Peter 3:9). The Apostle Peter explained, “For Christ
also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God” (I Peter 3:18). Even though this sin had

4. separated people from God, Jesus willingly “bore our sin in His
own body on the cross that He might bring us to God” (2 Peter
2:24). God loved us and “demonstrated His love toward us in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans
5:8). Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so that mankind could
receive forgiveness of sins and have eternal life in heaven.
What a deal! Jesus paid the sin debt that we could not pay so
that we could receive His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Choice
God does not force anyone to accept His Son, Jesus Christ. It is
a free choice, a gift that He offers to everyone. “The wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord” (Romans 6:23). So what is the choice we need to
make to receive forgiveness of sins and life eternal in heaven?
Again, the Bible is clear. A person must repent of his or her
sins and must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent,
and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
The word “repent” means to change one’s mind. A person first
needs to change his or her mind about God. Many concepts exist
about God in our world today, but to make an informed choice
we must have a biblical understanding of God and Christ. Jesus

5. did not say He was a way to God; He said He was the only way
to God. Jesus excludes all other “ways” when He says, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me” (John 14:6). The disciples said the same exact
thing, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only way to God.
A person also needs to change his or her mind about sin. It is
not about trying to be good person and living life the way she or
he wants to live it. Rather, it is making a conscious choice to
become a follower of Christ and His Word. Jesus said “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
The word “believe” means “to trust or have faith in.” It also has
the idea of being persuaded. Biblical faith is not a “blind leap”.
It is based upon the Bible, reason, and evidence. “Faith is the
evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Thomas, one of
Jesus’ disciples, did not believe that Jesus had risen from the
dead unless he was able to put his fingers into Jesus’ nail-
pierced hands and side. Jesus did not rebuke him for a lack of
faith. He let him feel the nail prints. And, what was Thomas’
response? “Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my
God!” (John 20:28).

6. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential fact of history
and the gospel message. If Jesus did not rise from the dead then
Christianity is just another man-made religion. The apostle Paul
understood this when he said, “If Christ is not risen, your faith
is futile; you are still in your sins!” (I Corinthians 15:17).
What must a person believe in order to become a follower of
Christ? First, that Jesus is who He said He was. “If you do not
believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Here, Jesus placed our eternal well-being entirely on the issue
of getting what we believe about Him correct. One must also
believe that He died on the cross for his or her sins; that He was
buried; and that He was raised from the dead (I Corinthians
15:1–4). The Apostle Paul spelled it out when he said that “if
you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”
(Romans 10:9). It is a personal choice. Hopefully, it is your
choice.
The Invitation
If after reading this gospel message you understand what it
means to be a follower of Christ and you would like to receive
Him as your Savior you can do that today. "Whoever will call

7. on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Your
personal relationship with God can begin right now through
praying a prayer from the heart. You could pray a simple prayer
like this:
Heavenly Father, I know that You are holy and hate sin. I know
that I am a sinner and I can’t get to heaven by my own works. I
believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and
that He rose again. I repent of my sins and believe that Jesus
alone can save me. I want to be a follower of Jesus and His
Word. Come into my life and save my soul. Thank you for
saving me! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Although this article was designed for Discussion Board Forum
2, if after reading this you prayed to receive Christ as your
Savior, please contact your RLGN 104 course instructor so they
can celebrate your decision with you.
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